Vernon T. Jones MTS, Spiritual Consultant, Author
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Scripture Reflection: God’s foolishness!

1/30/2014

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“For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” I Corinthians 1: 25 

Sometimes when we are on this spiritual pilgrimage, we are asked to take steps that may seem odd to others around us. A good example for me was after I earned my undergraduate degree. I had been working full time at a steel mill and going to college part time. After eight years I finally had enough hours to get my degree. I started looking for jobs outside of the steel industry. I remember my father-in-law, Vito, really questioning if that was a good idea. You see, he had worked on the docks in Ashtabula, Ohio and he knew what seniority meant in a company. 

I had nearly nine years in the mill and he thought I should stay there, because of how important that was. He wasn’t the only one, many of my mill co-workers thought I would just stay because the pay and benefits were good. Well, again God had other plans and I was offered a job in the insurance industry (for less money) out of state, and thank goodness, my late Judy, was willing to move, which we did.

One never knows what God may have in store for us. It may seem foolish to the world, but can make perfect sense to us in due time. Blessings on your spiritual journey! Vernon T. 


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Reflection: What does God require of us?

1/26/2014

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“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6: 8

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Scripture Reflection: New Adventure!

1/23/2014

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“Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand.” Psalm 37: 23-24

When Shirley and I got married in 2002, Psalm 37 was one of the readings that were chosen for the worship service. This Psalm holds a lot of meaning for both of us, and we knew that we needed the Lord to be with us on this new adventure. 

We both started Trinity Lutheran Seminary in the fall of 2000, and didn’t know each before that. We had many things in common, like both losing spouses due to death, and we both had a son and daughter with our late spouses. Of course we had a few other issues such as not knowing what was going to happen when Shirley finished Seminary in 2004, and starting over in a new relationship after being single and after having long and very good marriages with our late spouses. 



Thus, we knew that to begin this new adventure the Lord had to uphold us when we stumbled, for we surely would have our challenges. May this passage help you if you are about to enter a new stage in your life! Vernon T. 

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Scripture Reflection: Immediately!

1/20/2014

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“As (Jesus) went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.” Matthew 4: 21-22

This passage is used to show that if Jesus calls someone to follow him, it should be done quickly and not in months or years later. When I was thinking about going to the Seminary I had thought about going part time for a year, and continue to work in the insurance industry, before going full time. I had gone to undergraduate school part time while working full time in the steel mill. I thought that was the practical thing to do again. However, God had other plans. 

I talked to my pastor about my thoughts, and from things he did, plus other signs I was given the clear message for me was to go full time and not to wait for a year. That ended being a really good thing for me, because if I had gone part time versus full time, I wouldn’t have met and got to know Shirley Ross, and wouldn’t have gotten married to her. Sometimes being practical is not what God is calling to do, but taking a leap of faith immediately to follow Jesus! Vernon T.   
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Scripture Reflection: Seeing as God’s sees!

1/16/2014

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“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, . . .  for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’” I Samuel 16:7 

This passage from I Samuel concerns the anointing of David as king of Israel. In our culture we spend a lot of time, money, and effort on how we look, and we how we think others should look. For some of us, the importance of looking good overshadows many other aspects of life. We of course all need to spend some time on our personal appearance, but how much is enough.

As we talk about this spiritual pilgrimage, spending time in prayer, Bible study, and reflection is primary to this walk. It appears from this passage that God looks on our heart and not how we look outwardly. As we spend time with our appearance, may we also find time to strengthen our heart with our spiritual practices, for that is what God is looking at! Vernon T.  
 

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Scripture Reflection: The Voice of God in a Great Storm!

1/13/2014

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“May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!” Psalm 29, 11

The caption at the beginning of Psalm 29 is “The Voice of God in a Great Storm.” The Psalm talks about how a thunderstorm moves over the land and causes chaos and impacts many aspects of life. It seems that we can’t go very long that we don’t read in the news about some part of the world that has been troubled by nature or humans, be it wind, snow, rain, violence, etc.

The last verse reminds us that through these storms that God’s strength and peace are still with us, even in the very midst of these storms. May you be able to feel this peace on your spiritual journey! Vernon T.    


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Reflection: The New Year!

1/9/2014

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One of Shirley’s and my favorite spiritual writers is Henri Nouwen. He was a Catholic priest, now deceased, who was a very important writer in the last century. In his book “Bread for the Journey” for January 8 he writes about having light for the next step. As we begin a new year, we can become concerned about what this year holds for us. He notes that generally we only enough light for the coming hour or the following day. 

He writes, “The art of living is to enjoy what we can see and not complain about what remains in the dark.” He goes on to say that when we can take the next step with faith, our life can be filled with joy. May you be able to trust the Lord about the future and live today with that faith. Blessings on your spiritual pilgrimage throughout the New Year! Vernon T. 
 

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Scripture Reflection: What if we resolved to be like the Shepherds and the Magi?

1/6/2014

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“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made know to us.’” Luke 2:15

Shirley and I pray that the spirit and peace of God may be truly with you during the New Year! As we tell the birth story of the baby Jesus, the shepherds and Magi often get forgotten. They were not written about after the birth of Jesus. However, they were chosen by God to become the living birth announcements to Mary and Joseph. 

Now, what we if resolved to be like the shepherds and the Magi? Would we be willing to follow directions given to us by God? Would we be willing to venture out in haste not knowing where or why we are going, but going anyway because of the guidance given to us? Blessings on your spiritual pilgrimage throughout the New Year! Vernon T. 

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Happy New Year!

1/2/2014

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Happy New Year!

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    Author

    Vernon T. Jones earned his Master of Theological Studies Degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary after a lengthy insurance industry career. Jones has assisted people with incorporating into their faith journey the discipleship practices that are outlined in his upcoming book and his presentations. 

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